Bermondsey Town Hall | |
---|---|
![]() Bermondsey Town Hall | |
Location | Spa Road, Bermondsey |
Coordinates | 51°29′45″N0°04′25″W / 51.4959°N 0.0736°W |
Built | 1930 |
Architect | Henry Tansley |
Architectural style(s) | Greek Revival style |
Listed Building – Grade II | |
Designated | 17 September 1998 |
Reference no. | 1385930 |
Bermondsey Town Hall is a municipal building in Spa Road, Bermondsey, London. It is a Grade II listed building. [1]
The current building was commissioned as an extension to a 19th-century vestry hall which had been designed by George Elkington in the Italianate style for the Parish of St Mary Magdalen. [2] [3] The vestry hall became the headquarters of the Metropolitan Borough of Bermondsey in 1900. [2] A memorial to soldiers who had served in the Second Boer War was unveiled by General Sir Redvers Buller in the vestibule of the building in 1903. [4] The vestry hall was badly damaged in the Blitz during the Second World War and was subsequently demolished. [2] The memorial was removed from the building before it was demolished and, after being in storage for some 40 years, installed in St James's Church, Bermondsey. [5] Two stone pillars and some ironwork is all that remains of the vestry hall itself. [6]
After the vestry hall had become inadequate for the council's needs, civic leaders decided to build some new "municipal offices" to supplement the vestry hall. [2] The site selected for the new building, which was just to the east of the vestry hall, had previously been occupied by Bermondsey Public Baths. [1]
The foundation stone for the new municipal offices was laid by the mayor, Alderman Harry Bateman, on 20 October 1928. [7] The building was designed by Henry Tansley in the Greek Revival style and completed in 1930. [2] The design involved a symmetrical main frontage with nine bays; the central section included a large three-bay, full-height, tetrastyle Ionic order portico with a doorway on the ground floor, three windows on the first floor and a pediment above bearing the coat of arms of Bermondsey. [8] Internally, the main atrium on the ground floor featured a grand staircase and Doric order marble columns which supported an elliptical landing on the first floor and an elliptical domed ceiling above. [9]
The new building took over the role of headquarters of the Metropolitan Borough of Bermondsey during the Second World War but ceased to be the local seat of government when the enlarged London Borough of Southwark was formed in 1965. [10] The building continued to be used as additional workspace by Southwark Council until 2010. [11]
The building was sold to a developer, Hollybrook Homes, in December 2012. [12] Works to convert the building into a block of apartments known as "Bath House Lofts", [lower-alpha 1] to a design by architects, Burwell Deakins, were completed in summer 2014. [13] [14]
Southwark is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed due to its position at the southern end of the early versions of London Bridge, for centuries the only dry crossing on the river. Around 43 AD, engineers of the Roman Empire found the geographic features of the south bank here suitable for the placement and construction of the first bridge.
Bermondsey is a district in southeast London, part of the London Borough of Southwark, England, 2.5 miles (4.0 km) southeast of Charing Cross. To the west of Bermondsey lies Southwark, to the east Rotherhithe and Deptford, to the south Walworth and Peckham, and to the north is Wapping across the River Thames. It lies within the historic county boundaries of Surrey. During the Industrial Revolution Bermondsey became a centre for manufacturing, particularly in relation to tanning. More recently it has experienced regeneration including warehouse conversions to flats and the provision of new transport links.
The London Borough of Southwark in South London forms part of Inner London and is connected by bridges across the River Thames to the City of London and London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It was created in 1965 when three smaller council areas amalgamated under the London Government Act 1963. All districts of the area are within the London postal district. It is governed by Southwark London Borough Council.
Newington is a district of South London, just south of the River Thames, and part of the London Borough of Southwark. It was an ancient parish and the site of the early administration of the county of Surrey. It was the location of the County of London Sessions House from 1917, in a building now occupied by the Inner London Crown Court.
Rotherhithe is a district of south-east London, England, and part of the London Borough of Southwark. It is on a peninsula on the south bank of the Thames, facing Wapping, Shadwell and Limehouse on the north bank, with the Isle of Dogs to the east. It borders Bermondsey to the west and Deptford to the south-east. The district is a part of the Docklands area.
Walworth is a district of south London, England, within the London Borough of Southwark. It adjoins Camberwell to the south and Elephant and Castle to the north, and is 1.9 miles (3.1 km) south-east of Charing Cross.
The Metropolitan Borough of Bermondsey was a Metropolitan borough in the County of London, created in 1900 by the London Government Act 1899. It was abolished and its area became part of the London Borough of Southwark in 1965.
Old Kent Road is a major thoroughfare in South East London, England, passing through the London Borough of Southwark. It was originally part of an ancient trackway that was paved by the Romans and used by the Anglo-Saxons who named it Wæcelinga Stræt. It is now part of the A2, a major road from London to Dover. The road was important in Roman times linking London to the coast at Richborough and Dover via Canterbury. It was a route for pilgrims in the Middle Ages as portrayed in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, when Old Kent Road was known as Kent Street. The route was used by soldiers returning from the Battle of Agincourt.
Burgess Park is a public park situated in Camberwell the London Borough of Southwark, and is close to Walworth to the north, Bermondsey to the east and Peckham to the south. At 56 hectares, it is one of the largest parks in South London.
Kagyu Samye Dzong London Tibetan Buddhist Centre for World Peace and Health is the London branch of Kagyu Samye Ling Monastery in Scotland. Kagyu Samye Dzong London is under the direct guidance of Chöje Akong Tulku Rinpoche and Venerable Lama Yeshe Losal Rinpoche, the co-founder and Abbot of Samye Ling respectively.
Croydon Town Hall is a council building in Katharine Street, Croydon which serves as the headquarters for Croydon London Borough Council. It is a Grade II listed building.
The Old Town Hall, Richmond on Whittaker Avenue in Richmond, London is a former municipal building which from 1893 to 1965 served as the town hall for the Municipal Borough of Richmond.
Hampstead Town hall is a municipal building on Haverstock Hill, Hampstead, London. It is a Grade II listed building.
Lewisham Town Hall is a municipal building in Catford Road, Lewisham, London. The oldest part of the facility, the curved municipal offices, which is the headquarters of Lewisham London Borough Council, is a Grade II listed building.
Mitcham Vestry Hall is a municipal building in London Road, Mitcham, London. It is a locally listed building.
160 Tooley Street is a municipal facility in Tooley Street, Southwark, London. It is the headquarters of Southwark London Borough Council.
Walworth Town Hall is a municipal building in Walworth Road, Southwark, London. It is a Grade II listed building. It was built for the vestry of the parish of Newington, opening as the Newington Vestry Hall in 1865. When Newington became part of the Metropolitan Borough of Southwark in 1900 the building served as Southwark Town Hall. It ceased to be a headquarters of local government in 1965 when the London Borough of Southwark was created.
Camberwell Town Hall is a municipal building in Peckham Road, Camberwell, London, England.
Wandsworth Town Hall is a municipal building on the corner of Wandsworth High Street and Fairfield Street in Wandsworth, London. The building, which is the headquarters of Wandsworth London Borough Council, is a Grade II listed building.
Lancaster Town Hall is a municipal building in Dalton Square, Lancaster, Lancashire, England. It was built in 1909 and is a Grade II* listed building.